Compound rotary engine.



No. 821,603. PATENTED MAY 29, 190e.

W. J. ARTIBBE. Gon/[POUND ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FIIJED SEPT. 5, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAY 29, 1906. W'. J. ARTIBEE.

GOMPOUND ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

../xmm.

` "unrrnn sri-iras "WILLFRED J. ARTIBEE, or CHAZY, NEW YORK, AssreNoR orONE-HALF PATENT OFFICE.

TO CLARENCE H. JONES, OF CHAZY, NEW YORK.

specification of Letters Patent.

` Patented May 29, 1906.

Application led September 5, 1905. Serial No. 277,028.

To @ZZ LLI/2,0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLFRED J. ARTIBEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chazy, in the county of Clinton and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Rotary Engines,of which the following is a speccation.

My invention relates to `compound rotary engines, and has for its objectto devise a construction wherein is provided two rotary shafts fromwhich power can be transmitted independently or to one main shaft by anymeans readily suggested to those skilled in the art.

A further object is to, construct the cylinders, pistons,distribution-valve, and steamchest so that a motor may be built up froma plurality of unit-sections and enable engines of different horse-powerto be readily assembled or similar engines to be increased or decreasedwith slight changes, thereby avoiding the necessity of having manypatterns or different-sized tools for the construction of large andsmall engines.

My invention consists of features and relative arrangements of partswhich will hereinafter appear from the detailed description and beparticularly pointed out in the appended. claims.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which similar referencecharacters indicate the same parts throughout the several figures,Figure 1 is a transverse section through a high and low pressurecylinder of one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectiontaken on line 2 2 of a form of my engine comprising four high-pressurecylinders. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the dis tribution-valve as appliedto an engine in which four cylinders are used. Fig. 4 is a transversesection of a modified form of my invention. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalsection taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4, in which four high-pressurecylinders are used.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, my invention consists of ahigh-pressure cylinder 1, having a central rotary shaft 2, to which isrigidly connected a piston 3, preferably sha ed as indicated and havingits outer end andpsides so machined or acked as to form a fluid-tightjoint with the inner sides or walls of the cylinder 1.

4 is an abutment suitably pivoted at one rest on the outside of therotary piston during its entire revolution.

5 1s a recess into which the abutment 4 is permitted tol passwhentheouter end of the piston 3 passes the portion of the cylinderoccupied by the abutment.

Made integrally Vor secured to one side of the high-pressure cylinder 1is a larger or low-pressure cylinder 6, which is provided with asimilar-shaped rotary piston 7, fas tened on an independent shaft 8. Inthe cylinder 6 is provided a like swinging or piv oted abutment 9,withasimilar recess 10, the parts constructed madeluid-tight and cooperatingin the same manner as those of the high-pressure cylinder 1.

11 1s a port connecting the high-pressure cylinder with the loW-pressurecylinder, and 12 is the exhaust-port for the low-pressure cylinder.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, a plurality of the above-described set ofhigh and low pressure cylinders may be placed side by side, beinglseparated by walls 13 and.secured together by bolts 13, so as to formone engine with two separate and distinct rotary shafts 2 and 8, theshaft 2 being fastened and common to all the pistons inthe'high-pressure cylinder 1, while shaft 8 is common to those in thelow-pressure cylinder 6.

14 14 are theends or heads of the cylinders, which are provided with theusual stuffing-boxes 15 15 for the section of the rotary shafts passingthrough the same.

Any form or construction of packing for the section of the pistonssliding against the side or outer walls of the cylinders ma be providedand forms no essential part ol my invention.

Attached to the upper side of the highpressure cylinder is a steam chestor chamber 16, which is preferably cylindrical in shape and is providedin its interior With a hollow rotary valve 17. Piercing the walls of thevalves 17 and properly spaced along its length are ports 18, whichregister with ports 19,

IOO

leading into the interior of the high-pressure 21, which meshes with agear 22, fixed to one end of the rotary shaft 2 of the high-pressurecylinder. These gears 21 and 22 vare proportloned so that the shaft 2rotates as many times faster than the valve-stem 20 as there are sets ofhigh and low pressure cylinders, and, as indicated in the present case,four to one, and while l show and prefer this relation ofthe two gears21 and 22 it may be changed without departing from the essentialfeatures of my invention.

23 is a pipe leading the live steam or fluid- .pressure into theinterior of the hollow rotary valve 17.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the general construction and operation ofthe modification shown therein are the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and2, with the exception that the pistons 3 and 7 are cylindrical in formand of a smaller diameter than their inclosing cylinders 1 and 6. Eachof the high-pressure pistons 3 and low-pressure pistons 7 is provided,respectively, with hinged extensions 4 and 9 which project beyond theouter cylindrical surface of the piston and bear against the innersurface of their respective cylinders and form a huid-tight ointtherewith. Said pistons 3 and 7 are also provided with cutout sections 5and 10, respectively, for permitting their hinged extensions 4 and 9 toreturn within the cylindrical portion of the piston and have the outerends of the extensions pass over the protrusions 24 and 25 in the innersurfaces of the cylinders 1 and 6, respectively. The protrusions extendout to t e cylindrical portion of the pistons in their cylinders an'dclose up the space or gap between the inner sides of the cylinders andistons, thereby forming fixed abutments aving gradually -inclined sidesfor the hinged extensions 4 and 9 to ride up and down or over themduring the revolution of the high and low pressure pistons 3 and 7 26and 27 are spring-pressed buttons in the cut-out sections 5 and 10 andagainst which the hinged sections 4 and 9l are forced in passing overthe protrusions or abutments 24 and 25. By this arrangement theextensions 4 and 9 are forced out by the spring-buttons, whereby thefluid-pressure is enabled to pass between the extensions and cylindricalportions of the pistons.

19 is the inlet-port for the fluid-pressure to the high -pressurecylinder and is controlled by a rotary valve 17 of the same constructionand rotated by the gears 21 and 22, as previously described.

1 1 is the port connecting the high and low pressure cylinders, and 12is the exhaustport of the low-pressure cylinder.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Referring to the form shownin Figs. 1 and 2, the steam or fluid-pressure enters, by means of thepipe 23, into the hollow rotary valve 17 and by means of the ports 18and 19 is permitted to pass into the high-pressure cylinder 1. Thefluid-pressure reacts against the swinging abutment 4 and causes thepiston 3, with its shaft 2, to rotate in the direction as indicated bythe arrow a. As soon as the outer end of the piston passes beyond theport 11 the expanded steam passes into the ow-pressure cylinder andreacts against the abutment 9 and forces the piston 7 and shaft 8 torotate in the direction of the arrow l). The steam after its secondexpansion passes to the atmosphere or a suitable condenser by means ofthe exhaust-port 12. The gears 21 and 22 are so proportioned and theshafts so connected that when the piston of the highpressure cylinder isat the end of its stroke the low-pressure piston is about to commenceits stroke in order to receive the once-expanded steam from thehigh-pressure cylinder.

It can be readily seen owing to the several sets of high and lowpressure cylinders being entirely independent and distinct from eachother the power of an engine can be increased or decreased by adding orremoving one or more of the sets comprising a high and low pressurecylinder, it being simply necessary to construct a proper length ofshaft, distribution-valve, with the necessary ports and operating-gears,in order to preserve their proper operative relation, as abovedescribed.

The operation of the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 issubstantially the same, only the pressure of the steam acts against theabutments 24 and 25 and the pivoted extensions 4 and 9. The steam entersthe high-pressure cylinder by orts 19", distributed by a similar rotaryva ve 17.

11 is the port leading the steam from the high to the low pressurecylinder, and 12 is the final exhaust-passage.

From the foregoing description and mode of operation of my invention itwill be seen that I have devised a simple means for constructing acompound rotary engine which is provided with two independent shafts,one of which is rotated by the high-pressure cylinders and the other bythe low-pressure cylinders, and the horse-power can be changed withoutthe necessity of much additional cost or delay.

Having now fully described my invention,

IOO

IIO

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by ISO 'ton in each of thev'low-pressure cylinders, a separate rotary shaft connecting the pistonsin the low-pressure cylinders and an exhaust for the low-pressurecylinders.

2. A compound rotary engine comprising a plurality of separable andindependent highpressure cylinders, a rotary piston in each of thecylinders, an abutment in each of the cylinders, a rotary shaftconnecting the pistons in the high-pressure cylinders, a steamehest, adistribution-Valve Controlling the live steam into the high-pressurecylinders, a plurality of 10W-pressure cylinders corresponding to thenumber of high-pressure cylinders, an abutment in eaoh of thelow-pressure cylinders, a port connecting each one of the high-pressurecylinders With a corresponding low-pressure cylinder, a separate rotaryshaft connecting the pistons in the low-pressure cylinders, an exhaustfor the low-pressure cylinders and means Jfor properly operating thedistribution-Valve.

3. A compound rotary engine comprising a plurality of high-pressurecylinders, a rotary piston in each of said cylinders, a rotary shaftconnecting the pistons, a steam-chest, a distribution-Valye in thesteam-chest and oontrolling the live steam to the high-pressureCylinders7 a plurality of low-pressure cylinders, a port connecting eachofthe high-pressure cylinders with a low-pressure cylinder, a rotarypiston in each of the low-pressure cylinders, a separate rotary shaftconnecting the pistons in the low-pressure cylinders, an exhaust-portfor the low-pressure Cylinders, and means for properly operating thedistribution-Valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

WILLFRED J. ARTIBEE.

Witnesses:

ALEXANDER W. FAIRBANK, ORRIN E. MINKLER.

